Looking at the World South of Miami: Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami and Miami-Dade County.

Guest Post by David Singer: Ode to a Friend

by SDM

My tribute to a tragic loss of a life.

This week I unexpectedly lost a great friend, co-worker and partner in crime. He leaves behind a beautiful wife and two phenomenal boys. He was not only a co-worker and friend he was a longtime resident of the Village of Palmetto Bay.

We used to argue ad nauseam because he never thought the Village should have been incorporated. In fact, he really wanted to start a campaign to de-incorporate the Village because as he “claimed” he predicted prior to incorporation that crazies would take over the Village. He wasn’t that far from the truth!

What I found amazing was his genuine admiration for my writing, especially since his writing skills were so superior to mine. He complimented each and every article I’ve written over the past two and a half years, although some he definitely thought were better than others.

He would always come into my office to proofread or give me suggestions on the tweaking of words or conclusions to my blog. Sometimes we argued for 20 minutes over the use of “one” word or the way he thought my blog should end. In the end I would always win by telling him who’s putting their name on this you or me?

He loved his family, he loved sailing, he loved cooking and he loved playing ultimate Frisbee every Sunday morning. Everyone who ever met him would agree he was intelligent, funny, quick-witted and just great to be around. He was the proverbial life of the party.

There are very few people I’ve known whose life can touch as many people as his did and I will remember him forever. I already miss him.

To me his death is a reminder that there are few individuals who run the Village that are always focused on the darkest of issues. Instead of working to bring this community together they’d rather find issues to divide, so they can conquer. They look for any issue to motivate their base whether they actually believe in what they are selling or not. As my friend used to say, it’s like watching Jim Jones sell Kool-Aid to his followers. He thought what they were doing to this Village was just downright appalling.

Palmetto Bay council members should be focusing on permitting and promoting sporting and religious events since it brings families together rather than the noise, traffic and lighting that are an unfortunate by-product. Why look at the glass half filled, instead of enjoying what limited time we have on this earth.

It takes really dark and devious individuals to restrict life’s joyous opportunities as certain council members have and continue to do.

If my friend were alive today, he’d be asking me “so what are you planning on writing about today”? We’d read my blog together and laugh about how narrow minded people are and how absurd this Village has been functioning for the last four years. He’d be asking me when I was planning on running for office so he could be my campaign manager and I’d say never, why don’t you run on a de-incorporation platform, I’ll support you and you’ll win!

I will miss him dearly.

David Singer

[SDM wants to offer the family and Mr. Singer our deepest condolences. We know of whom you wrote and his loss is tragic.]